Trial will begin on Wednesday in the Beatles' lawsuit against Apple Computer over the use of the technology firm's very name. The Beatles recorded under the Apple Corps name and logo. Emperor Jobs foolishly named his company in tribute to his favorite band; in this context, "in tribute to" means "in anticipation of litigation and millions of dollars eventually paid out to." According to the linked article, the Beatles first sued Jobs, et al., in 1978 over the use of the Apple name. Three years and $800,000 later, Apple was permitted to keep its name on the condition of staying out of the music business.
When music came to computers in the form of CDs that could be played on computer disk drives, the Beatles sued again. The band scored a $26.5 million settlement in 1991, with another agreement that Apple Computer would stay out of the music business, except that computer devices that could play music would not be considered to constitute breach of the condition.
Then along came the iPod and, critically, iTunes. Apple is now in the music distribution and sales business. The Beatles' barristers noticed, and sued again in 2003. No settlement has occurred, and trial will begin this week. Given the Cupertino crew's lack of success so far, it seems likely that the band, before a London court, will score another hit.
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There aren't enough zeros available in all of western civilization for that number. This is the Beatles we're talking about here. Maybe you hadn't heard, but they were even bigger than Rush.
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